The Blue Room Boy
by JustWriting97
Summary: "So wait, you have green eyes, red hair, you are from the blue room and your last name is Romanoff. Am i missing something?" Tony nearly screamed. "Well yes, I am Natasha's elder brother" he said. Because there can never be enough craziness in the Avengers Tower. Another addition to the brother competition would be fun. Right?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Whose brother?

The need for having company had never been stronger in any of the members compromising Avengers than it had been after the battle of New York. By the time that they had finished the doubtful Shawarma they were served, Tony was sure that there was, in fact, something fishy about the Shawarma because he had never been a team-y sort of guy but here he was offering the rest of the team to seek shelter in his larger than life tower. The fact that they all had agreed seemed to prove the fact that the pita bread was fishy indeed. He had ordered Chicken.

So basking in the thankfulness of maybe having the next month off from the mountainous pile of paperwork that Pepper had to do for him, Tony was happy to have company and have them to occupy his ninety story house. So they settled in the Tower which coincidently only had an 'A' hanging off and had been called Avengers Tower since.

But living in the company of fellow superheroes and the not so gentle master assassins, didn't mean that live was easier or any safer because Thor just loved this lightning's, and Banner hadn't been very successful from Hulking out when Tony had placed a cockroach on his feet. Not to mention and god save their souls from the agony that maybe bestowed on them when they wake the master assassins even a minute before their agreed time. Life isn't easy, but it is great.

"Say red, I know it's kind of early to be ruffling your feathers but you wouldn't mind if I send some strippers to Clint and yours wedding. Would you?" The round dining table, occupied by the Avengers team plus Pepper for breakfast was never a good place to bring up such topics because Natasha yet hadn't had her coffee. Banner and Cap had already bowed their heads maybe for praying but mostly to save themselves from the impending knife that would escape their cheeks just by a fraction of an inch and towards Tony. "Okay, I'll take that as a never. But I'll try again."

"Tony, really, when will you ever learn?" Pepper quipped"Apologise."And that was cue for Tony to send her a perfectly raised bushy eyebrow. Pepper taken up the challenge that given Tony an equally comical look that said 'Do it or no sex for a month'

"Sorry Natasha. There happy."

"Well if all is well now, I was thinking about going on a motor cycle trip across the new America. You know get to know the new world and all." Rogers said chewing on his muffin rather hungrily.

"Dude the world isn't any new as it was during your time; it's just that you were playing the part of sleeping beauty to impeccably that Aurora would be jealous." Tony said nonchalantly while generously sprinkling pepper over his scrambled eggs.

"I-I-I think I am going to sneeze" Banner barely squeaked all the while turning green. Oh uh.

"Okay, nobody panic. Take shelter and Clint take Thor on another level." And for the first time Pepper didn't have to order this out with a glare to get the job done. Natasha and Cap jumped behind the kitchen counter at the same time, Tony dragged Pepper behind the couch and Clint was hurriedly pushing a clueless Thor towards the elevator. To say the least when anybody managed to make a sound louder than Thor's thunder, well then there would a pretty epic thunderstorm that nobody in the slightest is fond of. Thor doesn't like any competition involving this thunder brewing capacity.

Just as the doors of the elevator had been shut and the numbers on tip of the wall indicating the floor showed basement level, all hell broke loose. Banner who had managed to hold the sneeze so far could not control it any longer and just gave in to the urge. AAACCCHHHHOOOO. The floor shook violently, Bruce turned into Hulk and then just as the sneeze died he returned back into his normal human state.

"Banner, is it safe to come out now?" Cap asked from behind the counter, sporting a cooking pot on his head which had managed to fall off the shelf.

"Yes, but no. Tony I am borrowing the table cloth for a while." That being said, everyone emerged out of their hiding place.

"Oh my god" Natasha and Pepper shrieked together. Bruce was currently tying the table cloth around his naked waist.

"Bless you Bruce" tony exclaimed while taking his phone out for a snap of the tomato red doctor.

"Wow Bruce orange really is your color." Captain added, stifling a laugh that was promptly cut short when a distant rumble of thunder was heard and the elevator doors dinged open to reveal a literally fried out, covered in ash archer and an angry looking Thor.

"You among you, my dearest friends, threaten my thunder?" Thor asked. Clint growled in response while everyone else just froze, staring at one another.

"Run!" Natasha managed to yell as she took off for the stairs. Two seconds the words took meaning and everyone remaining ran in different direction.

"I am too young to die" Tony yelled besides Banner.

"Well I don't want to die with a table cloth around me" he replied.

Once the situation had died down everyone had suspiciously gathered once again to watch to watch a movie. Tony, Cap and Banner came in with matching helmets and knee pads. Natasha kept hugging her guns and Pepper had a list of chores in hand. Every one stayed clear of Clint and Thor. Once the movie ended the mess of earlier lay forgotten, dinner and then everyone called it a night.

Tony and Pepper lay in bed together, the latter was preoccupied with a book and Tony had been twiddling with his thumb.

"Don't you think there is something more than partnership between Clint and Natasha?" Tony said in a serious tone. It was that tone that always grabbed Peppers attention.

"I see something in them that cannot be characterized as only friends but whatever they have going on between them isn't our business. And knowing you for as long as I have, I don't want you to interfere." She kissed him then when he wanted to protest. "Good night."

And so life was going good in the Avengers world. Each new day and each new little domestic disaster bought them closer until that very day. Oh yes that had been an eventful day. Tony and Captain and Bruce began to fight with each other like four year olds over candy and to worsen the situation they even managed to drag Thor in to it.

"No she is my sister" Captain yelled.

"Yeah right, Popsicle, She is my sis" Tony reverted equally.

"Well you guys can fight all you want but she likes my tea better so I will be a better big brother." Bruce said calmly, rubbing on his specs.

"Do not fight friends, until any opposing legitimate reason arises, I shall gladly play the role of being the elder brother of Lady Natasha."

Once again, there was a wave of opposing statements and threats and this was the exact moment when Clint and Natasha decided to walk in. Clint was smart and upon hearing the screams from the room had promptly turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Natasha hadn't been so lucky.

"Oh look Spidery is here." Tony announced. "Now she can choose who her big brother is." All of the four grown men dragged the little assassin in the middle of the room and stood in a line in front of her.

"What is going on and did Clint just ditch me?" Natasha asked, pretending to look at her nails and then over to the door from which Clint had managed to escape.

"Natasha, this is a very important issue on we have on our hands. None of us can agree on who should be your elder brother" Banner said seriously. He was about as serious as Thor was about his pop tarts, Cap about his countrymen and Tony about JARVIS.

"What-how-why again should I be your little sister? Why can't I be the elder one?" she retaliated but didn't disagree.

"Well, technically we are older than you plus you can be our elder sister but that just means you have to look after us and clean whatever mess we created."

"I agree with the noble captain of ours."

"Well, I don't want to be the unfortunate one to clean up your childish havoc so I too concur that I will fit the part of being the little sister quite well." She said quickly.

"Oh goody red agrees. Now little red riding hood all you have to do is pick your elder brother."

"Why can't all of you be my big brothers?" She suggested just shutting them up because it hasn't even been fifteen minutes that she was forced into this room and she could feel a migraine closing in.

They all seemed to consider that for a while, playing the idea in their head, thinking of the pros and cons until all of them questioned in unison "But now you have to choose your favorite big brother." And there came the headache she was waiting for.

"Sir, Director Fury has entered the facility and ordered Miss Romanoff and Mister Barton to the meeting room." JARVIS announced in his official, business like voice.

Thor seemed to groan and then pulled his hair. "Why does this voice not face us? He is a coward."

"Yeah buddy, we all wish JARVIS was a real butler." Tony replied while Banner settled in to explain JARVIS to Thor. Natasha had already felt once her name was summoned up by the AI.

By the time she had navigated her way to the meeting room, she found Clint and Fury already there and waiting for her. She entered the room and the one eyed man spoke almost immediately.

"Barton, Romanoff we have a mission for you. It seems that our discreet sources in Moscow have been dealing with rumors about a BLUE ROOM headquarters breakdown. I understand that you Romanoff must know something about the Blue Room."

The name caused Romanoff to tense; her vision was clouded but only for a minute before Clint placed his hands upon her quivering ones. She gulped down her hesitation and found her voice. "None sir, except for the fact that the Blue Room functions in the same ways as the Red room did, well as far as I know. The Red Room was built to train only girls while the Blue Room was for boys."

"Well yes, both of you have to go down to Moscow and figure out the location of this Blue Room and get as much information as you can. If the rumor about the downfall of this Operation is right then I want the names of all the Products trained. You have up to a month to complete this assignment. You do not get to take down this place, if it exists, under any given circumstances. Is that understood?" Both the agents gave a nod. "Good. Your flight leaves tomorrow at 0800." He cocked an eyebrow and walked out with the same authority everyone knows he has.

"Natasha-"

"I am not ready for this. It's just too much to take, going back to a place like that."

"But Natasha, I can only help you if you tell me what's wrong. And then if we must we can resign from the mission." He said calmly, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Natasha broke out of her ordeal, raised her chin like she always does when she senses danger and slowly walked over to the door. Clint figuring out something is out of place too, began to following her. Once they were at the door, she gestured him to stop and stay silent. She took her gun from her boot which caused Clint to roll his eyes. Really something Natasha is plain paranoid. Who carries a gun in their house anyway? Natasha took a deep breath, pistol ready in one hand and yanked the door open. Without a second thought she pointed the gun at the intruders earning quite girlish screams from the grown and toned bodies of men, running for their lives.

"Really are they on sugar rush or something?" Natasha analyzed while Clint couldn't help but roll on the floor. '_They so are stuck in their teens. Morons, I am surrounded by morons_'

Dinner that night was peacefully a success. No peas travelling across the round table, no loud whining about the excess vegetables on their plate and a fine collection of red wine.

"So what was captain hook minus the hook here for?" Tony asked.

"Natasha and I have to go for a mission in Moscow tomorrow"

"What the issue?" Cap inquired. Always all too interested in the happenings of the world.

"I suppose it has got something to do with the Bio weapons constructed genetically from the human blood to twist the neurons in the brains and disrupt their electrical signals until the brains dies from excess negative charge." Banner suggested. All mouths hung open. It wasn't a bad theory since everything is possible on SHIELD but does this man ever speak English?

Knocking back her sense which was missing since the meeting with Fury, Natasha closed her mouth shut and then opened it again to reply. "No it's nothing like that; we just have to look into some pesky organization who dared to threaten SHIELD and take them down." She lied smoothly. But across the table the archer could read her like an open book. The matter had died down then, to bring up another one involving desserts.

Natasha excused herself once she had finished wiping her plate clean and retreated to her room to prepare for the following morning. Glock 21, Check. Glock 22, check. Jericho, check. Once she had packed everything she would require, she slowly climbed into bed but sleep wouldn't be easy that night. One the clock on her bedside beeped midnight, a knock came on her door. She knew exactly who it would be, so without bothering to ask who it was she yelled a simple 'Get in or out'. The door promptly creaked open and in came Clint.

"Natasha. What is it? I know something is disturbing you about the mission but you have got to let me know so that we don't screw up the whole thing."

There are parts of Natasha no one knows, not even Clint but most importantly not even her. But Clint knows where she was in life when he offered her to join SHIELD; he knows her likes, dislikes and choices. He knows her like the back of his bow but he still doesn't know everything.

There was always a name popping in her mind when anyone mentioned the Color blue to her. She wanted to catch that piece dancing in her head but every time she tried it only slipped and waltzed in another part of her mind. Giving up she sighed and finally opened up. "I don't know but there is always a part of me that's telling me I am missing something. I know the red room played with me, memories and all and I don't know how much of this is true but I guess I had a brother-maybe-I don't know even know his name." She dropped her head back on the pillow, massaging her temples. Clint threw an arm around her encouraging her forward.

"Are you sure you want to go for this?" he asked gingering with no ounce of sympathy. She doesn't need sympathy.

"Yeah, let's do it."

"Okay sleep now, we have to go early tomorrow"

Clint tucked her in and slipped in besides her. They wished another a good night and were off like a bulb.

The following morning was normal as normal could be. The dining table was cleared of any black pepper powder and for once there was no thunder in the background. Once they had cleaned their plates, and washed them, Natasha and Clint bid everyone goodbye and were soon headed towards the SHIELD headquarters to pick up their jet.

Once Natasha has strapped up the final holster on her waist, there is no pulling her out of the mission. Don't even try and think otherwise, which Clint had learned the hard way.

Half way around the world later, they found themselves in the snow covered city of Moscow. Clint was nicely adapting himself to the cool climate with just a coat and scarf. Natasha meanwhile, wore a pair of faded jeans and a plain T shirt.

"Clint it's the mid of summer, do you really have to wear that scarf?"

Clint just growled in response. Yeah he was half way around the world type of hungry. "Don't ask, don't question, just let's get some food."

Once they had fueled themselves enough and were proper enough to function, they were all business. "Okay, so since we didn't get a great Intel, I assume the Blue Room will be functioning close to the Red Room. What do you think?" Clint asked.

"I guess you are right. So if we follow with that idea then we have a good 30 mile walk from here."

"Want to race the whole way?" Clint initiated. Natasha bit the inside of her cheek and Clint caught on to just how nervous she was. "Okay maybe another time."

"I guess his name was Demyan. No I am sure it was Demyan but what I don't know is if it was real or just another trick."

"Well only one way to find out" And with that Clint took off running.

'Oh no he didn't' was all that Natasha could think before taking off as well.

30 miles of neck to neck race later and two barely tired assassins, the forest came into view. The trees kissing the mellow sunset sky gave them excellent cover; the fresh white snow was a great contrast to the darkening sky. Slowly after Natasha claimed victory of the race, all traces of fun was thoroughly washed out of their systems. Half an hour later they found the compound they were looking for and the rumor was true, the Blue Room was a thing of the past now. They checked the perimeter over and over again before they stealthily made their way inside the ruined building.

They went straight for the main office which held the files for all the products and god Natasha prayed that they still be there. The office was huge, but it looked more of a file room. There were cabinets and more cabinets filled with files.

"You check over there and I'll look at this part' Natasha ordered, pointing at two different directions. Hawkeye did as he was told.

She searched high and low, through each of the Products file, her partner doing the same. About 47 files later everything in her froze. There was a photo of a man with green eyes, red-brown hair; it reminded Natasha of something she couldn't put her finger on.

"Well I am done her Widow. According to this file, there were about 254 Blue Room products. I already copied all the files. What about you?" When he didn't receive an answer, concern filled his fibers. "Widow?" he slowly turned around to find Natasha completely still and staring at a file in her hand. Having enough of the worry in his veins, he slowly walked over to the stilled figure of his partner and peeped at the file she was so absorbed in.

Product Name: Demyan Romanov

Date of Birth: 1st February 1980

Group: Ghosts

So now Natasha held the proof that she did have a brother, and elder one for that matter and Clint Barton just stood there shocked. Now if Demyan did survive the Blue Room, Clint Barton dreaded to see that day.

**AN**: End of chapter one. How did you guys like it? I am open to all suggestions and constructive criticism. If you liked it then leave a review. If you didn't like it, then also leave a review. Thanks


	2. He is Here

**Chp:2: He is here**

Special Thanks to ** .58**, **keepcalmandwrite, and angelofmischief.**

** Sorry for the delay guys.**

Meanwhile halfway around the world from Russia in a certain tower with a specific 'A' hanging from, gathered four of the earth's mightiest heroes, engaged in the most compelling conversation of the day.

"So, I suggest that we hold a competition of sorts to solve the matter. I mean one of us has to be a better brother than the other right?" the billionaire with the goatee said. "Who's with me?"

"I don't know. I really don't handle competition very well."

"Oh come on, it's going to be fun and whoever wins will be considered the most victorious and successful man in the tower" Tony pleaded. "Come on Cap, I know you want to."

"Well I guess there won't be any harm." The leader said.

"That's the spirit. See if the Cap agrees then everything is legally acceptable, right?"

"If my brothers from another mother concur to such mortal, absurd tradition, then so shall I partake in this event." The god of thunder boomed causing the others to cover their ears.

"Remind me to buy ear muffs, the next time the ladies drag us to shopping." Captain whispered next to Tony.

"Okay, I guess, I'll entertain myself. I am in." Bruce relinquished.

"Yippee" Tony yelled, throwing his arms around, in an unmatched victory dance. "But wait first we must establish some rules, as this is a legal competition. Rule number one: violators will be disqualified from the competition."

"No duh Tony" Rogers teased.

The rules took a while to be mended suiting the accord of all the heroes. Fifteen minutes and thirty seconds later a rule book had been successfully compiled, containing more threating restrictions than actual rules.

"Sir there-"JARVIS started to be interrupted by Tony.

"Not now JARVIS. We have signatures to make in order to legalize the Rule book of the brother competition."

"But Sir-"

"No buts JARVIS, go play with Dummy." Bruce hasted supervising the precision curls of the Captains signature.

Once the four overgrown children were happy with their work, they joyfully gleamed at the three page book that held the rules to the game. The elevator dinged at the exact moment. Expecting to either see a fuming Pepper or the pissed pair of assassins, the four men turned to greet them. But expect the unexpected is a true motto in the Avengers Tower, because out stepped a tall man, auburn hair, and sharp green eyes. The Avengers glanced at him again and over again in hopes of recognizing the face. Perhaps he may be a SHIELD employee but the lack of uniform or guns, dejects their proposal of him being an agent. They then glance at one another, hoping the other has some answers in order to satisfy the mysterious identity of this intruder.

"Sup, I am Tony Stark, as you may know. But who are you?" Iron man asked, patience not being his strongest forte. Hmm another thing he has in common with Natasha, he plans on telling the guys about this later.

"I am Demyan. I am looking for Natalia." Said the tall man, his physique was strong and lean, chiseled muscles thickly shaping his black T shirt in an admirable way.

"Natalia, who? I am most certain there is no Natalia living under my room." Tony exclaimed in response, earning a smack on the back of his head.

"He means Natasha, you idiot. How are you a genius billionaire again?" The Captain said.

The mysterious man spoke again and for once Tony is glad that Pepper isn't here because the voice and body of this said man, women will be drooling all over him. Heck even Tony himself, and by the looks of it the captain too, is jealous of his handsome looks.

"I am looking for Natalia Romanov. Is she here?" he asked courteously.

"Well, my friend Demyan, Lady Natasha is not here." Thor replied.

"Thor he is not yet our friend. Who are you again?" Tony persisted. Patience wasn't his strong point but stubbornness is thoroughly bred in him.

"Tony! Excuse him. Why don't you sit down and introduce yourself." Bruce finally spoke. He reached for the glass of water beckoned to him by the Captain and took another for himself. The men stood in a perfect line, facing the so called Demyan. Steve stood first, Tony next followed by Bruce and finally Thor. Once Demyan had found a suitable seat, he began speaking again.

"Well, I am Demyan Romanov. I am here to meet my sister Natalia."

The gulp of water that was supposed to make its way down the throats of the Cap and the doctor suddenly stopped mid-way. Breathless and shocked out of their skin at the man's word the water had no way else to go but be spat in a cool spray over Tony and Thor. Initially if this had been a normal day with a normal conversation, then brace yourself for having messed up Tony's hair and god save you from the explanation that Thor would demand for such action.

"You mid-guardians have strange traditions but if this is how you behave when meeting a new acquaintance then very well." With that Thor took an enormous gulp of water in his gigantic mouth and spilled it all over Bruce in the same manner as the doctor had done. The water that had been spat out from Thor was equivalent to the water released from a fire hose, drenching the doctor completely. But nobody acknowledged the fact and mouths yet remained hung open.

"Uh yeah, I heard that you guys shared living space with a God but is he always this clueless?" Demyan interrupted. "Look I have travelled a long way from the Blue Room, all I want to be is guided to my sister."

Tony had always been the first one to recover from a shock and he will always remain the same. Bruce was next while Thor and Rogers always seemed to take their time.

"Wait a minute. You have green eyes, red-brown hair, you are from somewhere known as the blue room and your last name is Romanoff. Is there something I am missing?" Tony yelled, the crimson color playing a lovely shade on his cheek.

"Why yes, I am Natalia's elder brother."

"I need more water to spit out." Captain admitted.

Travelling back to Russia, in the cold quarters on the destroyed Blue Room, Natasha clutched the file of her long lost brother to her chest. She made no attempts to move from her spot near the huge cabinet until Clint wrapped his strong masculine arms around her slim waist.

"It's okay Natasha. He might be in a better place now."

She spun around in his arms, burying her face in his chest. Maybe, if she closes her eyes long enough then maybe she'll wake up from this dream. But she closed her eyes and opened them again once, twice and once again yet nothing happened. This is reality and you can't escape.

"I don't even remember him properly, didn't even get a chance to meet him. And now for all I know I never will." She mumbled in his chest.

"Maybe it's for the best or maybe he is just waiting for you too." He replied kissing the top of her head. She didn't shed a tear and he knows she won't. She didn't have a chance to know him very well, he is just a distant memory of her torn up past, a lost brother and nothing more. But there always is a catch. He was a distant memory but a persistent one at that, always lingering somewhere in the dark corners of her mind. And now that he has surfaced and now that she knows that he really does exist, they have no clue about his whereabouts. "Come on let's get out of here. We are practically sitting ducks."

Clint intertwined their hands together once they were far enough from the blue room facility. They roamed the streets for a while until they found a suitable, non-questioning hotel, to spend the night at. Bright Hill hotel was a small place but it was nice and warm like its name. They were fortunate enough to get a room, considering how small the hotel was. They entered the room, took off their boots off and Natasha dropped herself face first on the bed, earning a chuckle from her partner. She gave him a scowl in return.

"You know your problems won't go away because you fall face first on a feathered mattress." He turned her over and reached for her gun on her holster. "Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head negatively." No, I just want to sleep and then all I want to do is go home."

"Sleep now. We'll talk later. We have a plane to catch at 9 am tomorrow." And that was all the conversation the assassins had before succumbing to slumber.

Somewhere around at midnight, while the archer and his spider slept peacefully, the tenacious ring of her SHIELD issued phone, stirred them out of their sleep induced reverie. Natasha irately made a grab for her cell, cracked one eye open and cursed. Tony Stark is a stubborn pain in the ass. In no mood to talk to the righteous bastard of a billionaire in this ungodly hour of the dead night, she switched her phone off.

"Let me guess, it's Stark." Clint slurred from the other side of the bed. "Ignore him. Go back to sleep." He said again, turning himself over on his back. Natasha gladly took his advice and was about to doze off when Barton's phone rang. The curse Natasha yelled might make the devil blush, Clint was a mere mortal. No one ever had the audacity to wake her up in the middle of the night unless it was mission related and even then, gods bless their souls. Having enough of the irritating ring, Natasha crawled over Clint, towards his side table to reach for the phone. Her knee dug painfully in his manly parts and the groan that left his mouth was anything but pretty.

"Listen up Stark, it's midnight here alright and I am trying to sleep. How dare you call me? Do you even calculate the time difference?" Natasha yelled while her partner squirmed underneath her. "Call this number again Stark and I swear I will rip that little goatee of yours with a pair of pliers, one hair at a time and when I am done I will pour bleach all over you precious baby skin and then burn the hair on your empty head. Do you understand?" Not giving him a chance to answer, let alone speak, she hung up and promptly switched it off. She climbed off Clint and over to her side.

"Forget children Nat, I think I can't even have sex now. Did you really have to take your anger off on Clint junior?" he groaned painfully, doubling over.

"Sorry and don't call your jewels Clint junior, it's repulsive." She hissed angrily and went back to sleep.

"Easy for you to say, you weren't the one who was crushed."

Six hours later, a happy assassin made her way towards the SHEILD jet, well if you deliberate over it, she wasn't happy she was just coffee fueled properly. The same sadly could not be said about Clint, who was yet sore down there.

"I hope you are happy because I am not. Clint _junior_ isn't happy." Clint said vexingly while taking a seat on the jet. The topic died down when Natasha didn't reply but just raised an eyebrow.

Once they had landed on the soil of the United States of America, they went straight for debriefing but there wasn't much to say. It had been a fairly simple and easy mission. This could be said on the professional level but on the personal level, well that's another story or perhaps even a novel. They handed over the files they had collected from the Blue Room and left. The file on a certain Demyan Romanov, however stayed concealed under Natasha's uniform. Finally they could head home and maybe watch a movie together if they were lucky enough.

They arrived in the Avengers Tower twenty minutes after the debriefing. It was silent, eerily silent which is highly unlikely. The tower was always a site of chaos. What happened? Panic quickly escalated in the veins of the pair of assassins. Weapons drawn they made a sprint to the common living room but everything was perfect. They commotion created by the sound of their boots must have alerted the others about their presence. Once they had properly and completely reached the living room, everything in Natasha froze. There sitting in front of her was her long last and supposedly dead brother.

"Natasha, you have a brother?" Tony inquired even though he knew the answer.

"Demyan." Natasha audibly whispered.

"Natalia, Is it really you?" Demyan retaliated. He began approaching her. Threatened by his unbelievable presence and confused, she raised her gun and directly aimed at his heart to everyone's utter surprise.

"Wait right there. How do I know, you are the real Demyan?" she asked hesitantly.

The silence that followed was thick, punctuated by unspoken thoughts of suspicion and danger. After a while or two of this ambience, Demyan broke out of his thoughts and replied.

"I know you have a deformed butterfly shaped birthmark on your right butt." Mouths flew open, faces grew paler but there was no tomato in the world redder than that of Natasha's face. No one not even Clint Francis Barton knew about her birth mark and now to her horror everyone did.

This truly was Demyan.

**AN:** Thanks for reading. I am open to all suggestions and constructive criticism. If you liked this chapter, please be kind enough to review. Thanks once again.


	3. Ignore until you cant

**Chp:3: Ignore until you cant.**

A special thanks to **Dandino, Keepcalmandwrite** and **NCISRookie33** for your review they are really appreciated and very motivating.

And I dearly apologize to ** .58 and ** as your names did not show up in the previous chapter.

After placing resounding smack that echoed throughout the tower, leaving Natasha's fingers imprints on his cheeks, she hugged him. Her hands went around his neck, standing on her toes to close the great height difference between them. His hands protectively went around her back and it seemed that they have been doing this for ever.

"I missed you Natalia."

"I didn't know you really existed. But I guess I missed you too." She admitted.

They stayed like that for a while until the close proximity started getting on Clint's nerve. He just had to clear his throat and when he did thankfully the brother-sister duo left each-others embrace. Natasha took up the initiative to formally introduce Demyan to her team.

"Guys, this is Demyan Romanoff, my brother." The words coming from Natasha's lips sealed the deal. Yes Demyan was real and the guys realized that the sooner that they accept this truth, the better. The disappointment the washed over Tony, Steve, Thor and Bruce was clearly all over their faces but who was to notice, Clint? Heck he himself seemed a little threatened. "Coffee?" Natasha.

Among the wave of affirmative that Natasha received, there was the single negative, instead the voice said. "I'll have tea."

"No doubt you're her brother now." Captain chuckled.

They settled in the kitchen for their steaming cups of drinks. Once they had done that, none knew how to start a conversation. The ambience however was awkward but it was highly unusual since the tower was never this quiet. But leave it to the billionaire to bring back the life in the tower.

"So Natasha that butterfly birthmark-"Tony began and was quickly shut off with not one but two knives being thrown at him simultaneously. The glare Natasha was sending his way would be the subject of his nightmares for a long time but the heat emitted from her brothers eyes bought scary to whole new different level. He muses if he should sleep with one eye open tonight. "Okay maybe later."

'Ignore until it can't be ignored' was the motto Demyan lived by and he planned on doing just that with the man who questions his sister's butt on the dining table. "Natalia, I saw you in the fight of Manhattan and had wanted to meet you since then. I swear I would have come sooner but the things in the Blue room were getting complicated. But how are you now? You must tell me everything."

"I will tell you everything in due time Demyan but first you must tell me how you escaped from the Blue Room. What happened in there?"

The pair were so engaged in their conversation that they hadn't realized that the rest of her team had tried interrupting them at least fifteen times now in vain. It was like the rest of the world suddenly disappeared. Clint had never seen Natasha so occupied with something beyond the missions assigned to them by SHIELD, well there is the time when they are times of the bees and the birds but this was just too much, even for Natasha. Tony and Cap on the other hand were clearly downright jealous. After all the time that they had spent together on the tower, all the pranks and fun and everything they had together was washed away by a mere brother that Natasha didn't even completely believe until just yesterday. That was it; Tony was planning on spraying pepper powder all over Bruce, if that meant he could gain the attention of the girl he so fondly wants to call his sister. Thor was fascinated; he did not understand this peculiar behavior that Lady Natasha was displaying. Really he had never seen her so chatty. A yawn from Natasha herself broke the never ending conversation between her and Demyan. Really a yawn, that's it?

"Hey Tony, it would be really nice if Demyan could stay with us. You know until he finds a place of his own." It was a question stated like a request coated in a soft demand. There was also the look in her eyes that she knows no one can deny falling for.

"Uh, that's alright sissy. I have a room in the hotel nearby, I come back in tomorrow for breakfast."

"Are you sure? I mean you could stay here Tony couldn't mind." Natasha countered. Behind her Cap, Thor and Bruce were trying with all their might to keep Tony back from strangling his new man that stole their sister, while Barton just stood shocked.

"I am sure. I come around if I need anything. No worries." He hugged her again, nodded to each one of the guys and left.

Natasha turned around for the first time in about two hours and positively gleamed, suppressing a yawn. "Well I am off to bed, you coming Clint?" he nodded and followed. "Oh and Tony, ask me about my birthmark again and you will, I swear, have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of your life." She said, smilingly, before grabbing Clint's hand and marching off to their room.

Once tit was clear that the assassins were out of ear shot, Tony jumped up and down, like a four year old denied off his favorite game. He was angry and to him he seemed to be the only one until the Captain joined him too. "Sissy? He called her sissy and she didn't even get mad. If Stark would have done it, god, we would be planning his funeral." Captain said visibly annoyed.

"Bruce, Thor why aren't you guys vexed? I mean she like completely ignored us. Now I know that has happened before, when we pull pranks on Fury but this is beyond it." Tony stopped jumping on the table.

"Well for one, I don't think I want to mess with the Russian brother-sister pair. Plus they are highly skilled killer and if anything happens, you probably won't find our bodies."

Bruce was right, they just met after like forever, so they deserved sometime together. Gosh, he hated when Bruce was right. Both Tony and Steve groaned, stomped and made their way to their respective floors.

"So you must be really happy?" Clint asked, his arm tightly wrapped around his partner while they lay in bed, waiting for sleep to consume them.

"I didn't know I would be this happy on seeing someone from my past. But Demyan is back and it feels like I just have a believable past and one thing less to doubt about. Something is finally real in my life."

"I am real right?" Clint reassured her. She sighed in relief.

"You will be real even if I am lost, even if I am wrong, even in everything." The trust she put in him, instantly made him feel guilty for there was a part of him that never wanted her to meet Demyan. He was threatened; maybe this tall, handsome man could come in and convince his partner to leave him but now the trust was stronger and guilt was worse. He should have let his thoughts to wonder off like that. "Good night." She kissed and rolled over to her side.

Clint shouldn't have let his thought wander off like the way he did but when the night closes, and the friendly shadow of the night falls in, he is just a man of mere worldly moral and he is vulnerable to feel possessive over the most precious thing in his life: Natasha.

Morning broke in fairly quickly, too quickly for Clint because he is an early riser and the sun just couldn't stay under the horizon for any longer, could it? He stayed in bed for a bit longer then he would like, contemplating if all the Demyan business was a dream or not. He rolled over nearer to Natasha. She was yet sleeping, so he slid off the bed noiselessly and made way to the bathroom. Once he had his shower and was in a better mood, he exited the bathroom to find Natasha yet sleeping in bed. Man she was beautiful. Maybe this all was just a dream. Clint pulled on some sweat pants and a T, the idea of coffee sounding too good. He happily hopped to the kitchen, which was seemingly empty at the moment. He hopped two more steps and reached the coffee machine. Soon the scent of freshly made coffee attacked his senses and plastered a smile on his face. He filled in another cup for Natasha and even though she prefers tea over coffee, her morning cup is essential. He then turned around to leave.

"Good Morning. Clint. It is Clint right?" That voice said and everything in Clint froze. Shit, it wasn't a nightmare after all. He swallowed the lump in his throat and replied.

"Good morning Demyan. And yes it is Clint." He extended his hand forward. "Clint Barton." After the little hand shake, Demyan reached for the other cup of coffee in Clint's hand.

"Thanks for the coffee. So how do you know Natasha?" he asked calmly but Clint was a trained spy and the soft sense of being interrogated was tugging the back of his mind. But this is thousands, millions, and gazillion times worse because he was being interrogated by Natasha's elder brother. He stumbled over the words in his mind, hoping for a better conversation starter than what his mind pulled off at the moment.

"Um, we are partners at SHIELD. I am sure you already know the organization we work for."

"Are you kidding, I pulled up the whole history of SHIELD." Demyan said seriously and Clint couldn't help but stare at him, perplexed out of his mind. After another second, Demyan gave away and laughed. "Just kidding. Man you should have seen your face." Clint gave him a fake, scared smile in return. "But you yet haven't told me, how you met Natalia or Natasha as she goes by it now."

This wasn't a story he was sure he should be telling Demyan. He doesn't know this man very well; in fact he knows nothing about this man other than his name. But he is Natasha's brother and he is trained in the Blue room, if Clint says he was sent to kill his sister, he might just be dead. Precious time was ticking by and Clint knew he had to answer soon. He opened his mouth to get the words out but thankfully Natasha entered the room.

"Good morning guys." She mumbled, stealing Clint's cup of coffee right out of his hand and taking a big sip from it. 'God, I just love her timings.' Clint thought to himself. "So what's going on?" she asked much more coherent now.

"Nothing, Clint was just telling me, you both are partners at SHEILD."

"Nothing but the best pair ever" Natasha admitted confidently. There was something obviously more between these two then they would like to show but the Blue room trains to catch the hardest of poker faces. And Demyan caught it alright but he wasn't ready to question it yet, he just met his sister only yesterday.

The rest of the team arrived in the dining room just then. Thor went straight for the pop tarts; Bruce and Cap acknowledged Demyan's presence and greeted him good morning. Tony however was oblivious and had somehow managed to miss his presence while he was facing the Coffee pot. "You know I had the weirdest dream." He said as he filled his mug and turned around. He raised his eyes to meet that of the others and locked up with green eyes of Demyan. At first his mind did not register the face and went totally unrecognized but the more he stared, the more the pieces fitted in. And then he screamed. "Ahhhh, you are real." He shrieked and ran away.

"Don't worry he is always this way. It's absolutely normal." Bruce apologized on his behalf.

"It's okay; people tell me the billionaire is a bit eccentric." Demyan lightened the mood. Thor was now stuffing his twentieth pop tart down his throat. "I have heard a lot about the Avengers, I am glad my sister is part of such an amazing team and I have no doubt that the team members are just as amazing, if not more." He complimented them, hoping to be welcomed in as a friend. "And Cap you are a true leader, do you know how many of my Blue Room colleagues are jealous of you." The Captain blushed but Demyan knew he had softened at least one heart by now.

"Uh, thanks Demyan."

They had breakfast together and for once Thor had good company to stuff the food down their throats like grizzly bears. They smiled at one another and continued to eat. Once clearing the table, Natasha offered Demyan to spar with her, the challenge was gratefully accepted. Clint seemed shocked but said nothing. She always sparred with him first and then the others, if any. The brother-sister made their way to the gym; they were already dressed comfortably for a fight.

The gym was empty and quiet, save for the heavy breathing that come from Natasha. It was preposterous that she lost her breathing. Demyan was a very close match to her sparring style, he was even better and albeit Natasha could easily keep up with him, she was panting, he didn't even break a sweat.

"Where did you learn to spar like that?" he asked amazed.

"The Red Room, they taught me everything I know." She replied.

"It must be amazing in the Red Room. Why did you leave?"

Now she was amazed, he has been in a place similar to hers and yet he asks her such a stupid question. "Demyan the Red Room wasn't amazing, and I didn't leave, I escaped." No use hiding from her own brother.

"Escape? Why would anyone escape from a place like that?" Is he insane? He really is insane.

"Demyan what are you talking about. The Red Room everything away from me." She sat down on the mat now, Demyan did the same, but he didn't understand any of her rants. The Blue Room was amazing. It taught him how to use a gun, a knife, a bazooka any so many more things boys dream being good at. It taught him a multitude of languages, taught him how to cook, swim drive, make friends. They trained him perfectly, provided him all the necessities he needed. They even paid him for his assignments and if he has to kill to live such a wonderful life then why not. It's not like the men were any good to the world anyway.

"They Blue room gave me everything." He confessed. The air was thicker now. He wanted to know more about Natasha's Red Room because the way there was a slight tremble in her frame and a frown on her face was a dead giveaway of her unpleasant memories. The air became thicker now, so Natasha deemed it best to change the subject.

"You know the guys and I are really close. We are almost like a family but I think they are a bit uncomfortable around you. So what I am trying to say is that maybe you should spend I little more time with the guys than me." She seemed a bit embarrassed by this but continued nonetheless. "I will always be here; maybe we can talk over tea in the evening, after you spend the day with the guys. I am not pushing you away, but I just want all of us to get along."

"I know what you mean Natalia, and honestly I need it too. I have to know what sort of Company my little sister has don't I?" he added later, receiving a blush from her. But Natasha was the greatest success of the entire Red Room and she can immaculately hide a blush.

"Deal, but bring anything about me that you know is embarrassing, you'll face severe consequences." She got up and out of the gym.

Demyan found the guys in the Theatre room fairly easily; they each had a console in their hands and seemed to be racing each other. In his mind, though Demyan was a child too, but really aren't the guys who saved the world from an alien invasion? No these guys are just not them. "Take that Brucey, told you I'll beat you" Tony yelled.

"Yeah tough luck Bruce, but Tony I think you need a new car."

"What, why?" with that Clint had successfully slammed Tony's virtual car in the sidewalks, gaining a high five from Cap and Thor.

"They guys. Wad up?" Demyan initiated.

"Nothing. Just trying out a new game." Tony responded.

"Did you create this game?" Demyan asked

"Nope, I don't create petty games that I deny to play in front of the media but secretly love."

"But you do realize that you have the means and the brains to do it, don't you? I mean think about it you made your first circuit board when you were four years old and now the Iron Man suit. Dude in my opinion you give yourself way too little credit. Why mask what you deserve behind ignorance?"

No one in his entire life had analyzed and recognized Tony's importance to the world in such a pleasing way. People almost always were just behind him for materialistic reasons and he knew just how lucky he is to have Pepper and the team to watch his back. And damn it Pepper should be considered a part of the Avengers too. Tony searched Demyan's face and there were no lies in his eyes. He was truly impressed by this man now, maybe if he stayed here, just for a while albeit, it won't be that bad.

Pepper had in not long after that and was introduced to Demyan. She did seem surprised but quickly hid it, she made a note to herself 'Don't get surprised at anything new henceforth, you live with the Avengers, learn to handle it.' They settled for lunch after that. With macaroni and cheese on their plates and certain questions on their mind they sat in silence. The dining table was occupied in the fashion as follows: Tony first, but it's a round table so it doesn't matter, Pepper, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Captain and Thor. With the extra guest on their floor, another chair was added to the table where Demyan sat between Tony and Thor.

The first thing he noticed was the way the assassins were naturally drawn to one another. This he knows couldn't be achieved without having a connection and years of trust put into the partnership. But at second glance, if you were ever lucky enough to spare a second glance at their direction, as Demyan did, you could see love. The love that makes you want to melt when seeing an old married couple arguing over the song on the radio. It came to them naturally, innate as their breaths but it was Demyan's very nature to question nature.

"So Clint you are like macaroni to Natasha's cheese, right?" Demyan stated. Natasha's eyes went wide and that was all the reaction they got out of her, Clint clearly wasn't taking it that well. He coughed all the macaroni in his mouth out, reaching for the water glass to ease his abused throat.

"What- I –Natasha and me-are you?" When nothing made sense he turned to Natasha for help.

"Demyan, it's official, I like your devious mind." Tony regardless announced. Cap and Bruce were now repulsed by the food on their plate but Thor ate indifferently. Pepper wasn't sure what to do. Well it was the first time that she didn't have to kick Tony under the table for bad behavior.

"Demyan, I don't think this conversation is really appropriate for the dining table." Natasha hoped that this would change the subject but Demyan kept pressing her with his expressions. "Really, Demyan leave it there. Poor Steve he looks like he is about to throw up."

"I am about to throw up" Cap said uneasily, turning green and dashing towards the bathroom.

"Alright but we will talk about this soon and Clint why don't you talk on the roof later?" Demyan addressed to the both of them. Natasha gulped heavily; she really isn't going to eat macaroni and cheese ever again, while Clint was playing worse case scenarios in his mind. The most prominent one was him being hung upside down from the side of the Avengers tower. His eyes cried out help but there was nothing Natasha could do.

"I love this guy Pepper. I mean who taught that Natasha's elder brother could make them quiver. They have been poisoned, kidnapped, shot, stabbed and yet they didn't even shed a tear and her they are the world's finest assassins, quivering." Tony smiled.

Pepper made an action for him to stop while Bruce banged his head on the table.

"Oh I expect to see you tomorrow morning, Tony; there are some matters I would like to discuss with you. You know from the time Natasha was here undercover as Natalie Rushman." Now it was Tony's time to run.

Once lunch was regrettably done, Demyan made a beeline for the roof, leaving Natasha and Clint alone. Clint then fell on his knees, clasping his hands together. "Natasha please save me. I don't want to go."

Natasha looked scared too but as Clint went down on his knees, she quickly hid her trepidation. "Don't be silly Clint, he isn't going to kill you, I hope." Natasha admitted and pushed him towards the roof.

"You hope? Well I hope I make it alive but if I don't I am going to haunt you for the rest of my haunting life."

"Best of luck." She told him honestly and pushed him towards the roof one last time. "Promise to come back to me alright?"

"That's it, I know I am going to die know. We never should have macaroni and cheesed together." And with that Clint finally entered the roof. One question in mind, Are all Big Brothers like this?

**AN:** End of chapter three. Thanks for reading. Time to review. I am open to all suggestions and constructive criticism. Review if you liked it. Didn't like it? Then review and let me know. Thanks.


	4. Do or Die

**Chapter:4: Do or die**

A special Thanks to **keepcalmandwrite, NCISRookie33 and Avamys**. Your reviews mean a lot to me and thanks for always reviewing.

NCISRookie33: I hope this chapter sets things straight and clear.

The enormous and well equipped roof of the Avengers Tower was occupied by two men of contradicting sentiments. In one corner of the parapet sat the confident Demyan and big brother to Natasha. Not very far from that was an archer who awkwardly awaited his death sentence. The latter cleared his throat once to declare his arrival, as any other words would just fuel the fire according to him, preached to him by himself.

"So you and Natasha have been together for how long now Clint?"

"My favorite color is green too." He blurted out, man he was so proud of himself, and he actually managed to get real words out of his knotted tongue.

"Okay, but green isn't my favorite color, and I asked how long you knew Natasha for?"

A well placed mental slap later, Clint organized his thoughts together. If this was the way he was going to die, then he refused for it to be with is dignity on a silver platter. Clint was determined to impress this man with everything he has got. "We have known each other for seven years now, been partnered for six and aren't planning to let it stop there." He finished it in a breath.

"Seven years? You have known each other for seven years?" Demyan said after a minute of shock. "And you yet haven't proposed to her? You know you are bat shit crazy." He laughed.

"Excuse me? Proposed?"

"Yeah you know, being fiancé-fiancée, getting married, all that."

We this was beyond uncomfortable, he had not prepared for this. He was very well prepared for the black eye he would receive for macaroni and cheesing with Natasha. "And here I was thinking that you are going to punch me for making love to Natasha. Are you seriously asking me to propose to Natasha? I mean, do you know she knows how to kill people with a pencil? She no doubt is beautiful, in fact she is the most beautiful girl I have ever met and I know that I truly and completely am in love with her but I don't think marriage is something Natasha would want. And I don't really want to do anything that Natasha doesn't wasn't, which may make it seem like she dominates me but she doesn't. I would gladly marry her, happiest man I swear, but she doesn't want it."

His pitiful rant ended with Demyan doing the blah-blah-blah action. "Never thought you would actually stop your little rant there." He gestured him to sit down next to him. Gulping took a seat next to Demyan. Whatever he decides to say, he has to be extremely careful about it, because from this position he can easily be thrown off the roof. "Look I haven't known Natasha for the longest time, heck you know her for longer, but she is my sissy and I know for sure that she would agree in a blink of an eye to marry you-"

"No she won't." Clint interrupted and at this point Demyan did actually slap him in the face.

"Will you listen to yourself; you practically confessed your love for her to her big brother. And I swear to God Mr. Clint Barton if you don't propose to her soon, I will throw you off the roof of this is very prestigious tower. Head first."

Now it was Clint's turn to be shocked. Did he just ask what he thought he asked? Propose to the Russian assassin. "Is this a permission and blessing in disguise partly coated with a demand?"

"Yes, Clint, Natasha won't wait forever."

This man rocked. "Demyan, you know, in the beginning I kind of hated you. The way you just barged in on our life but I think you are not that bad. Now that I have said that, I also want to say that although I respect you I yet am scared of you. And thank you."

"You're welcome and damn right you should be scared. You are a good man too, it's the only reason I want you to marry her. Plus I see the look you give her and the same look reflecting back at yourself by her. Clint, I know that you would never intentionally hurt her but if you do, I promise that would be your last day." Clint gave him half a smile and got up to leave. He was just at the glass door of the roof that would let him back inside the tower when Demyan talked again. "Oh and I am probably plotting against you for sleeping with my sister." Yes Clint had every reason to fear to Demyan but he can't help but admire him too.

Back inside the Tower in the privacy of their room, Natasha was pacing the floor, biting her nails. What if the two of the most important men in her life fight? What if they don't get along? Natasha thought to herself but then again this is absurd Russian don't think about If's and But's. They just do what they have to do. She is Russian, no if's and but's. But- and there we go again with the buts-but it's been a good one hour that she left them on the roof again. She was just about to go to the roof herself when Clint entered their room. A million questions flashed by her mind but Natasha deemed it best to keep her composure.

"So how did it go?" she picks up her gun and starts to clean it.

"You know, how it goes with all the interrogations- I meant to say meetings. Well, I guess."

"Okay good. Now how did it go for real?" Clint really did not want to go for the truth; it might give her a heart attack, knowing he was going to propose to her sometime soon, so he went for the next best thing.

"It was horrible. He knows I slept with you and now I think you should plan my funeral." Yeah that's believable. He searched her eyes for a while, just to see if she bought it, she did. Thank god for that.

"You know he isn't actually going to kill you." She tried convincing him and he agreed. They hugged each other and then Natasha reached out to kiss him, but Clint wouldn't have it.

"Uh no, not now, not in the mood, after a death threat."

Natasha chuckled but understood. Clint's phone chose the exact moment to ring. "Stupid crazy lady, it's Caroline, she's been trying to call you for the past hour. I tell you women can never understand that if a person does not answer his phone, then he is probably busy." Now it was Clint's turn to chuckle. He swept his mobile from the side table and declined the call.

"Caroline is new, maybe she wanted some assistance navigating her way through HQ." He reasoned.

"Yeah, because you are the only one existing in the whole HQ who is capable of helping her."

"Are you jealous? The Natasha Romanoff is jealous?" This is incredible.

"I am not jealous. And don't forget I yet have a gun in my hand."

"Okay, sweet thing, whatever you say." She gave him a sharp glare and it reminded him just how closely Demyan and Natasha were related. It was the same face he made when he asked him about proposing to Natasha and taking care of her. But Natasha's glares were way more serious so in order to lighten the mood, Clint closed the little gap between the two and locked their lips in a passionate kiss.

"That never gets old." Clint mumbled licking his lips.

"You are an idiot." Natasha said but she couldn't help but smile. "Come on. Let's spar."

"Don't take this the wrong way but I have something to do." Clint grimaced, he knew how Natasha felt about sparring time but he knew his proposal too couldn't wait and he needed a ring for that. "Maybe tomorrow?" Chalking it up to the talk that he had with Demyan, Natasha let Clint reschedule their sparring time. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and left.

'Well, I may as well have some girl time.' She thought to herself and began looking for Pepper.

"What's bothering you Cap?" Bruce asked noticing that Steve wasn't paying attention to Saving Private Ryan, which is very unlike him. Silence followed and the good doctor had to question him again. "Rogers, Anything on your mind?"

"What-umm no. Well yes. Demyan, he is really-really"

"Good?" Bruce filled in, seeing that Steve's words were tangled.

"Yes, good, is the word. He is so good and I can't help like him as a respectful, fun person but at the same time I don't want him to be here. I want to Natasha to have us as her only, adopted if we must use the word, brothers. But now Demyan is her and he can rightfully claim that place and yet I like this guy."

"So you are confused?"

"Aren't you?" Cap countered.

"To be quite honest I am, but you know, that Natasha didn't meet her brother for a long time too and she needs her time as well. But since it's only the two of us right now, I can frankly say that I will chuck him out the window if spends more than time with Natasha than she spends with us." The words might have seemed rude at first but then Natasha was their little sister too and they missed her.

"I know what you mean. Anyway let's not talk about this anymore. Where is Thor? I haven't seen him since lunch."

"Yeah, I forgot, he went back to Asgard for a while." Getting a nod from the Cap, they returned their focus on Private Ryan.

The floor shook a little as the credits of the movie started rolling in but none of the two people occupying the couch made any attempt to move. Tony should really be careful with his experiments. "It's the third time this week right?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, third time this week that he created an explosion in his lab." Cap confirmed. He wanted to say more, but he raised his nose higher in the air, to get a good whiff at the sudden odor in the air. "Doesn't that smell like chemicals?"

"HE IS IN MY LAB" Bruce shrieked.

"I'll grab my camera." Captain laughed. "No time for that, JARVIS record everything. " And then the two took off for Banner's lab.'

The lab in question was a site was a nuclear explosion and amidst the destruction stood two men colored from head to toe in blue.

"He did it" the two blue men shouted in unison pointing at one another.

"What? I did not." Demyan replied.

"Well, neither did me." Tony mimicked. They turned two face each other at this point and it was impossibly hard not to laugh at their looks. Laugh is just what they did. Realizing it was no use getting angry on the men that destroyed his lab, he took the calm guy approach.

"You know guys that color isn't coming off from your bodies for another week, right?"

And that righteously put a stop on their laughter. A minute to let the thought sink in and then they screamed. It was wave of Russian and English and Hungarian on Demyan's part while Tony's was pure blabber.

"Wow, I honestly thought that he would yell in computer language. C++ and the likes." Captain tried containing his laughter with no avail.

They screamed in some foreign language after that and respectively stomped out to their bathrooms. They wouldn't emerge out until dinner.

Meanwhile in the sparsely crowded showroom of Tiffany's, stood a lonely man contemplating on the most important decision of his life. Will she like the ring with the sapphires on, or the plain Jane diamond one? This really shouldn't be this hard. Its Natasha he's buying a ring for, for heaven's sake. This shouldn't be hard but it should be perfect and thus difficult. He weighed his options and made the decision. He's take the risk on the plain Jane diamond ring, Natasha would like that.

He asked the shop assistant for her opinion and she agreed with the classic jewelry, he then made his way to the counter. Although the ring held nothing flashy, the price tag would burn your eyes. 45K for just a sparkling diamond on a silver ring, that's harsh but money was no objection for Clint and it would never be if it concerned Natasha. He paid the required amount and hopped off to a florist.

The entire plan was quite simple and a cheese overload but they liked simple. Simple meant normal and for once they could use a bit of normal in their lives. He would propose to her the next day at the roof of the Tower at mid night, play some romantic music, talk some, may be drink, no-no drinks. And then he would finally go down on a knee and ask her to marry him. This was cherry pie simple. And yet he has no idea whatsoever as to why he can't keep fiddling with his thumbs that gives away just how nervous he is.

He picked up a small bouquet of red roses, but somehow the whole idea of giving her flowers does not fit. So he ditches the idea and returns to the tower with just the ring. He dumps the bag in the garage and pockets the small velvet box.

"Good evening Sir." JARVIS greets him as he steps in the elevator.

"Sup?"

"Sir, everyone has gathered in the dining room for dinner and await you. Would you like to go there right now?"

"Yes." He decides in a minute. It's best if he goes there straight away and not raises any suspicion.

They sat around the table in the manner they always did. Conversation started as soon as the first morsel went down their throats but gulping down the food appeared to be a little difficult for Clint. His eyes desperately avoided the green ones of Demyan's and the ring in his pocket felt a ton heavier.

"The Brian Company is offering Stark Industries an amazing proposal." Pepper began. All Clint managed to make out of the sentence was _proposal._

"Yeah, they want to supply us with diamonds for the latest Stark tech." Tony added, chewing a mouthful of Tandoori chicken. _Diamonds, _again being the only thing he heard. He looked up and around the table, unfortunately his eyes landed on Demyan's and it was all just too much. He swallowed the last of the accumulated food in his mouth, washed it down with water and noticed for the first time Natasha staring at him like he was crazy. He abruptly got up from his chair, dropping it in the process.

"Okay that is it. Diamonds and proposals and this and that, I can't take it anymore. I have got to get it off my chest." By now Natasha wasn't the only one who was staring at him like he was a maniac. He grabbed Natasha's hand. "Don't freak out okay. Natasha for all, I have never met anyone as amazing, skilled, beautiful, witty and smart as you. And you have no idea how lucky I believe I am to have you as my partner. You show me the light in the world, show me my worth, you make me want to be a better man and I am so in love with you. I have known you for seven years now and have had feelings for you ever since." Natasha gasped and placed a hand over her mouth to hide her slip. "I can't believe I never had the guts to it before but Natasha, I think this is about time to do this." He went down on one knee and hoped to god she would accept.

"Clint, what are you doing?" Natasha asked, not wanting to believe that it was actually happening. Clint Barton was proposing to her.

"Nat, don't stop me. I am nervous; it's not a good idea to interrupt now. So as I was saying." He cleared his throat and took out the little box from his pocket. "Natasha Romanoff, will you marry me?"

Natasha stood up. "Are you serious?"

'Please say yes, please say yes.' Clint thought in his mind. Not receiving an answer from Clint, she knelt down as well.

"Yes." And just like that everyone, who was holding their breath for so long, cheered. "I thought you'd never ask." She smiled and kissed him.

"Yuck, get a room guys." Tony feigned disgust while the master assassins separated and rose from the floor.

"Another question I have being meaning to ask." He turned towards Tony and Demyan, a serious look on his face. "When did you guys decided to go blue? It really isn't your color?" And that's one way to get everyone expect the men in blue to crack up laughing.

"Okay. Now can we scream like little girls?" Pepper jumped up and down in her stilettoes.

"Don't you think you are a bit too grown up to jump and squeal like teens?" Tony deadpanned, clearly not enjoying this shade.

"And you overgrown men are?" Natasha defended her only girlfriend in the Tower. They looked at each other and began the screaming. Natasha held up her ring clad finger, while Pepper clapped her hands together.

Once the girls had calmed themselves down, everyone decided that ice cream would be a good way to celebrate. They ordered a truckload of ice cream because they actually eat that much and Tony refused to step out of the tower while he was blue. After having their filled bellies stuffed with ice creams, they moved for their respective bedrooms and Demyan left for his hotel.

Clint lay on their bed with a smile that was hard to wipe, playing on his face. Natasha lay next to him, still engaged in the ring, and kissing him whenever she looked up at her fiancé's face. They soon found themselves in the land of blissful sleep.

Life was good, but in Clint's mind, it's about to get better.

**AN: End of chapter 4. Thanks for reading. Now it's your turn to review. Open to all suggestions and constructive criticism. Review, alright, pretty please?**

**Enough of the fluffy fluff….next chapter: let the drama begin**.


	5. Choices

**CHP:5: Choices**.

A special thanks to Keepcalmandwrite, NCISRookie33, Avamys and Casey. Your reviews are my true motivations. Hope you like this chapter.

The soft rays of the sun the flowed in their bedroom was what woke Natasha up first. The next was the empty bed next to her, where her fiancé was supposed to be. She cracked an eye open to glace around the room, searching for her partner but the room was completely empty. She then then glanced at her bed side table. The digital clock lazily showed her the time, 7 am. Clint is supposed to be in bed. It isn't morning for him until the sun was clearly crossed the horizon and when breakfast is closer to brunch. Thinking nothing more of it, Natasha pushed herself out of bed and towards the bathroom.

Once she had finished the morning grooming routine, she exited the bathroom, fresh and happy. Is it possible she can be happy and in a good mood before having coffee? Yes, it was possible, even if just for a day. But coffee is an essential part of her day and so her next stop was the kitchen, which was a long way from her floor.

"Hey JARVIS, do you have any idea about where Clint might be?"

"Yes, Miss Romanoff, Mr. Clint had left for the SHIELD HQ, summoned by a higher official."

"Oh. Kay, Thanks" she said and continued her journey for coffee.

The long distance of two minutes hadn't damped her mood and once she arrived to her destination she had a smile on her face and even greeted them. Unbelievable what being engaged can make you do, did she mention she didn't have coffee yet?

"Oh, good one of the lovebird is up. Good Morning. Where's your hawk? Having a Cold shower?"

"Tony!" Pepper exclaimed, earning a mischievous grin from Tony. "Good morning Natasha."

"Good morning Tony, Pepper." Natasha smiled, completely ignoring the billionaire's previous comment, while he was bracing himself for an attack. "And good morning to you too Cap, Bruce."

The doctor and the Captain managed to smile at her in return. "Did she actually communicate before coffee?" Bruce whispered to Rogers, hoping that Natasha doesn't hear them."

The Captain nodded in agreement, while the assassin in question filled her coffee mug. "And she is humming too. Well it is a good morning."

Once they had their breakfast in front of them, they hungrily dug in. Pancakes lathered in whip cream with an overload of syrup, waffles with the right amount of butter on them and lastly to Natasha's delight Cinnamon rolls.

"So have you decided to get Clint something? You know like post engagement gift or something?" Pepper asked.

Natasha gulped the sweet cinnamon pastry and contemplated. "Well, to be honest I hadn't actually thought about that. It sounds good but. What do you think I should get him?" she asked the only other girl in the Tower, who actually transformed into her best friend and the only girly solace in the testosterone dominated building.

"A bachelor party in Vegas." Tony suggested. And that was the entire good mood Natasha could afford for a day.

"Don't push your luck, just because I am in a good mood. I might yet kill you." And that had promptly shut the annoying idiot up.

"You have got to teach me, how to threaten people like that." Pepper smiled.

"I gladly will. Any ideas guys?" she hopefully asked the other more mannered men at the table.

"Oh because my opinion was just so fun, wasn't it? Killjoy." Tony snickered, sticking out his tongue, and crossing his arms.

"How about a customized watch?" Bruce suggested.

"That's a good idea. Maybe you could engrave both of your names on the reverse side of the dial" Captain added.

Natasha was itsy-bitsy embarrassed about asking the guys for their suggestion as she never had any difficulty thinking about such things for her partner. But now the more she thought about it he more difficult it seems. She absent mindedly nodded at all their suggestions, and thought about how something so normal like being affiance-fiancée can change her.

"Natasha?" Pepper gently nudged her, freeing her from the reverie.

"What? What did I miss?" She asked clearly confused.

"Nothing we asked you where Demyan and Clint were."

Demyan? Well she had no idea whatsoever about Demyan but Clint was at the SHIELD HQ. And so she answered suitably.

No nothing had changed between her and Clint and she pushed all ideas of getting him anything as an engagement gift out of her mind. They weren't cut out to make and live with such changes. But then she could visit him at HQ, that wouldn't hurt.

"Okay, those are great are great ideas, but I will just go visit him at HQ for now." She took a leave from the table and to the garage. She pulled out her favorite car from Tony's collection and without a care to notify him, drove off into the horizon obstructed by endless skyscraper of the skyline that makes New York, well New York. She switched on the radio but kept the roof on, although there was an option to rip the roof off, but she didn't feel that motivated.

Half an hour later, somewhere were the buildings of New York seemed nothing more than half an inch tall, Natasha had arrived at the SHIELD Headquarters. A day off and this is have she spends it, looking for her partner, Pathetic. The sliding glass doors buzzed open and she calmly walked in, nodding in the general direction of the few acquaintances that she had made there.

"Agent Romanoff," A certain Hill called out for the ruby haired killer. "You are here on your day off, is anything the matter?" This was Hill, she was the second in charge after Fury and she made it her personal business to know who and why people walk into the headquarters that is disturbingly becoming her home. But then again before the battle that left Manhattan in ravages, HQ was her cringe worthy home too.

"No, Agent Hill there is nothing to worry about. I am here just looking for Barton. Is he with Fury?"

"Agent Barton? Well I was not aware that he was here." Maria spoke, pulling out her computer Tab and checking on for Natasha's partner. "Nope, Agent Barton isn't with Fury but he did sign in her security key at base level 5."

The furrowed eyebrows across Natasha's forehead was the tell-tale sign that anyone within a one mile radius should clear out and prevent any form of contact with her. Any injury occurring during this period would be blames on the fool who broke this sacred law. Hill understood the universal law and left. Natasha on the other hand let her curiosity get the better of her. She picked up on her fast pace once again, while her brain went into over drive trying to analyze the situation as immaculately as possible or permitted.

She reached her said destination in roughly two minutes but to be perfect in a minute and fifty eight seconds. Base level 5 is supposed to be a gym but is long out of use due to its difficult location, going exactly around the whole base to reach the tiny little gym. She noiselessly opened the door to the gym and searched for the light switch. When she found it, she hoped that this would be the place she would find her partner who was painstakingly fond of hide and seek. The lights flickered a bit and the scene in front of her was just utterly unbelievable.

Pressed against the grey walls was her fiancé in a make out session with the new girl Caroline and Natasha's newer enemy. His hands were on her shoulder while her dainty, dirty hands roamed his entire back. Her heart gave a great tug, and for a second she thought that it would just break out from her chest.

"CLINT?!" she yelled and whispered and uttered and just remained rooted to the spot until the lip locked pair broke apart in surprise.

Clint's eyes flew open and widened to the extent that they might have just dropped and rolled on the floor like some petty marbles. "Natasha!"

The said person crossed the little distance between them and reached her partner and that little minx. The tug on her heart was replaced by an unfathomable fire that burnt everything in its path, flickered through her eyes and placed a well-practiced punch across Caroline's cheek.

"Natasha, I swear, it's not what it looks like. I was-"

SMACK. The sound echoed throughout the gym and left a nice red mark on his face. "How could you? We just got engaged yesterday Clint. Yesterday." Her vision grew hazy with each word she spoke and at one point she just stumbled on her words, cutting short whatever her ached heart allowed her tongue to roll off. She turned around to leave not wanting to give the little new girl Caroline the advantage of watching her cry.

"Wait, Natasha, let me explain." He ran after her, grabbed her wrist and turned her around. He made big mistake, the water in her eyes were nothing compared to the fire burning through them and she placed another whack on his cheek. Yanking her hand out of his grasp, she gave one last death glare to Caroline and walked out.

"Clint, I am so sorry, I never knew. You and Natasha were engaged." Caroline came up behind Clint and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder to emphasize the false gesture of guilt. To Clint Barton, that hand was nothing more than acid, shrugging of her hand; it took him all his will not to throw her in a tank filled with Piranhas. He simply picked up the metaphorically stomped pieces of his heart and walked away in search of his fiancée.

So far it's been an hour that he has been searching for Natasha in vain. He looked for her at the roof, at the shooting range and even in the lady's room. But when Natasha decides to disappear she just cannot be found. His best chances were if she was on the base.

This was just plain shit. It's hardly been a day since his proposed to her and now this shit pulls up. Their life is just too effing exciting. He looks for her for a few minutes more before deciding to give up. "Let her have some time." He thinks to himself and with the washed over spirit goes for the Tower.

Meanwhile, Natasha reaches the Tower with the failed attempt to keep her tears at bay. The water dams behind her eyes just broke open and she just wanted something to swallow her up just so that she doesn't have to face another day with the ache in her heart. She pushes the tears back just enough to see the buttons on the elevator that will carry her to her room.

The elevator dings open to her misery her new family had gathered on her floor for a movie. She made no noise to greet them; she in fact, was in no condition to greet them, so she quietly hoped to escape to her room, but there was sure no way n hell that they could miss the sound of the stupid elevator.

"Hey sissy." Demyan called out, turning away from the screen to look at his sister. "Whoa-what's wrong?" Demyan's usual carefree voice turned into an overload of concern.

"Clint stupid asshole Barton is what's wrong." She yelled at his face and stomped to the closed safety of her room.

The silence that followed her leave was nothing short of confusing while the King made his memorable and applaud worthy speech. The words that had left Natasha's mouth caused a chain of events in action where Demyan turned from happy to worry to downright furious. Clint Barton had messed with his sister and boy, oh boy would he pay dearly. Tony who was quick to jump to conclusions just as Demyan had was a tang bit of furious too but from where he stood, he might have just misjudged Clint or more importantly Natasha had.

"Maybe I should go talk to her." Pepper suggested feeling that a girl in tears over a boy needed another girl to jump right out of it.

'Yeah, maybe I should come with you." The Cap took up the opportunity to solve the trouble that had befallen his almost sister.

"Yeah, well I just go grab my guns from the hotel." Demyan iterated in the same tone as the Captain. "Tony, do you have rope around here?"

"Umm yeah, how many feet of it, do you need?" Tony replied uncertainly. Maybe Demyan was just over-reacting, Clint would never hurt Natasha except while they spar. But Demyan was Demyan and more importantly he was a Blue room boy. He was a force that shouldn't be reckoned with under pressing circumstances like the one that has been aroused.

Neglecting the conspiracy that Demyan was plotting against Clint, Pepper and Steve made way to the assassin's room. They knocked on her door once out of sheer manners that had been thoroughly inbred in them and entered the room engulfed in eerie darkness and silence. Switching on the lights, Pepper called out her name but to no avail. But they find her digging her face into the mattress, unsuccessfully trying to stop the hiccups that accompanied her lonely sobs.

"Natasha, what's wrong? Where's Clint?" Steve asked and was awarded with another hiccup. He looked up at Pepper who was rubbing soothing circles on Natasha's back for additional support. Pepper understood the glance and acted fittingly.

"Natasha, if you don't tell us what's wrong, then we won't be able to help you. Why are you crying? And where is Clint?"

This was the second time Clint's name was bought up in the conversation of hardly three minutes and Natasha was sure that if she heard the name again, she might just decapitate someone. Having enough of her tears wasted she angrily pushed herself out of the mattress and faced the world.

"Where is Clint? Why don't you ask him yourself? Oh but wait he won't be able to answer because he was too busy making out with little Caroline the minx." She grabbed her pillow and chucked it across the room, much to Pepper and Steve's surprise both at the revelation and at the sudden anger. "He was fricking kissing her, we just got engaged yesterday!" she started throwing pillows around again.

"It's going okay, Natasha. Maybe it's not like what it seems." Pepper tried assuring her with false hope.

There some more empty word from both the Captain and Pepper but Natasha resumed her position on the bed with her face planted firmly in the softness of the mattress and they were just humans and after a point word don't make any difference. They are just words. Giving up after some time, they retreated from the red hair's room, and to the common area. They made it exactly three and a half steps in, when a frazzled Clint entered the room.

If you think Clint was fast and frazzled then the speed at which Demyan had launched himself on Clint was astronomical. Fist flew and a few grunts escaped Clint's lips before Tony, Cap and Banner too had to intervene.

"Hey, hey, that's it, calm down." Cap yelled at the both even through Clint didn't put up much fight if any. Tony and Banner was busy holding the blue room boy on the other end of the room.

"Clint Barton, I swear I will make you pay for putting my sister through this. I will make you cry, you ungrateful bastard." Demyan yelled, never ceasing to escape the arms that held him in place.

Clint was mad now, he didn't even do anything. Clearing they are in the dark and this is just a messed up situation. All he wants to do is go to Natasha and apologize for something he didn't have had in. But life in the Avengers is all fun and games until one of them is hurt and when that happens then just called it World War 3.

"I didn't do anything to her. I just want to talk to her. This-"

"You are not going to see her; you aren't even going to talk to her." Demyan retaliated.

"Okay, this is getting out of hand. Why don't we just talk over coffee like normal adults?" Banner questioned.

"Yeah, of course, why don't we talk about how this bastard cheated on my sister just one day after proposing to her over coffee? Sounds like a great idea." He spat putting up more energy in his Houdini moves. Clint however had master mindedly broke free from the Captain's arm and was running towards Natasha's door.

"Oh no you don't." Demyan screamed putting up every ounce of energy in his fiber and freeing himself. "Clint Barton come back here before I kill you." He continued running after him.

"Tony! Do something and do it quick." Pepper yelped as the men raced past her.

And for the first time, no one in the Avenger Tower what to do. This was a bad. The situation called for taking sides, misunderstood Clint, Angry Demyan and sister like Natasha. What now?

**AN:** Thanks for reading. Now it's your turn to review. Suggestions and constructive criticism are always welcomed. Please Review, pretty please with ice cream sundae on top.


	6. Beginnings and Ends

CHP:6: Beginnings and Ends

A special thanks to: Keepcalmandwrite and Casey. Thanks for your reviews.

It was three days later when the environment was significantly calmer-well not significantly but completely calmer. Clint had sported a black eye, courtesy Demyan, and stayed outside Natasha's room for the days following the whole misunderstanding until Tony Stark, the ever genius billionaire was smart enough to pull up video from the gym of that day. The footage was clear enough to prove Clint's innocence and Natasha just couldn't be alone without Clint anymore. The avenger ambience was back while Natasha and Clint spend the next two days locked in her room, doing whatever they do, that Tony desperately wants to know.

The whole matter was quick and easy, the misunderstanding didn't even seem to exist in the first place when Natasha forgave Clint, even though he wasn't wrong, and they spend the next two days in their room.

"They are so banging right now." Tony mumbled, clearly annoyed their movie night was missing three people, the two assassins and her brother, Demyan.

"That's none of your business, Stark." Cap said nonchalantly munching on his caramel popcorn.

"It is so my business when it's movie night. Its movie night, can't they bang some other time? And for god's sake we are watching Finding Nemo. Bruce, what's your say, Nemo or sex?"

"I say that's not fair. How can you choose between sex and the heart wrenching, hilarious story of a father crossing seas to find his son?" Banner relied.

"Fair enough but can they at least join us for a movie. Bunnies, pure white bunnies." The said philanthropist reasoned while snatching some of Banners strawberry popcorn. "I don't even want to know how come they aren't even married up to now."

"Something does will always remain a mystery."

Then in the dimmed room of Natasha Romanoff were the assassins Tony had the immense pleasure to talk about. The pair did absolutely nothing but lay in each-others arm for two days and had the occasional make out session.

"Clint?"

"Hmm."

"I was thinking, about our wedding and maybe thought we could have it hear in the Tower. What do you think?"

"Well, I don't mind it, al long I am making you mine but I certainly get to decide our honeymoon spot."

"Oh really Mr. Barton, and where will that be?" she suggestively raised her eyebrows.

"Somewhere only we know. Maybe cliché Paris, maybe the place where we first-I first banged you crazy. The possibilities are endless." He said reaching down to her soft lips and capturing them with his own.

Seven minutes of pure bliss later, they both called it a day. "I think we should go out now, Tony must have gone mad with curiosity." Natasha quipped.

"Or maybe we can mess with him more. You see my idea?"

"Have I ever not?"

"Come on; sleep now, because tomorrow we will mess with his head until he can't add two and two."

"I knew I loved you for a reason."

"I love your silly fights too." Clint beamed.

The next day, the sun rose out of the west like any other day, the Avengers had gathered in the dining area for their breakfast and Tony, who yet was a little blue even after 32 showers, was pulling on his hair. The SHIELD agents were conversing as they ever would and the rest was normal. Pancakes for breakfast once again and not to forget the Mt. Everest worthy amount of whip cream, filled their stomachs.

"So you remember what I told you about it right? And you are completely okay with it right?" Clint asked and Natasha nodded twice.

"Are you sure we shouldn't tell them?" Natasha asked.

"Umm, no. Not yet. You know how Tony gets right"

"I get what, and what is it you should be telling us?" Tony stopped pulling on his hair while Pepper smiled, seeming to get the hint of their little devious scheme.

"Does anyone know where Demyan is?" Natasha asked, completely and crystal clearly avoiding Tony's queries.

"Tell me what **women**, what are you hiding?" Tony yelled whispered.

"I don't know he hasn't shown up since that day. Maybe he is just visiting places." The Cap who had gotten the idea of the game, played along too, nudging Banner under the table and encouraging him to play his part as well. Oh this was going to be fun.

"So you both are not going to tell them. I guess you weren't even planning on telling me, if I hadn't been there right?" Banner said after a minute or two after continuously being nudged by Steve.

Tony's mouth dropped open. "You know too! Unbelievable, my own science bro is hiding things from me?"

"Tony, I think it's best if we don't talk about _that_ anymore." Clint played with his fork, staring at him and then back to Natasha for approval.

"Talk about what, I want to know." He cried.

"Let's go find Demyan. He is staying at the Plaza." Natasha announced after wiping her plate clean.

"Mission, it's about a mission isn't it?"

"Why would we talk about a mission over breakfast, Tony? Just forget about it, pretend like it never happened."

"Pretend _what_ never happened?"

"It, Tony." Natasha countered, getting off the chair and heading towards the door. Clint just shot his tongue out at Tony and followed his fiancée.

"What is IT?" Tony yelled, getting off his chair as well.

To end the matter in a nut shell, Tony is the genius, no doubt about the fact but as it was always said, curiosity kills the cat. And curiosity is Tony's best friend and worse enemy. Fact two, Natasha just fits the part of being a younger sister to them too well. There was constant teasing between all of them and there was imminently intense understanding too. Fact three; they were a family they knew they could never have and it was working out brilliantly.

It was near noon and Demyan remained in his hotel room, the landline phone clutched tightly between his ear and hand.

"Hello. Hello, who is it?" And the longer it took for the person on the other end to answer the whiter his knuckles turned. "Answer me damn it. Who is this?"

"We know where you are Demyan. And I am coming to get you and that pathetic sister of yours."

"Who is this?" Demyan asked as fear started running through is frozen form."

"Your worst nightmare." And the line went dead.

"Hello. Hello? Damn it."

Demyan knew what he had to do now. He's been in this place for too long now. 'Time to run'. He yanks open the wooden closet of his room, nearly ripping it in the process and grabbed his bag. He stuffed whatever clothes that he had bought with him in the bag and continued collecting his belongs from the room. Once he had packed everything, he proceeded to wipe the place for any finger prints, hair, anything that could give away his position but what use, they already knew where he was. And then the thought struck him, they knew about his location but they know Natasha's as well. They are coming for them. He has to get out of this country now and warn his little sister too. He grabbed the notepad that had been placed on his night stand and wrote a single word on it, 'Run' and then he was out.

He made it to the lobby from his floor in thirty seconds flat, which is not bad considering he had used the stairs from the fifteenth floor.

"We are looking for Mr. Demyan Romanoff; I believe he is staying here." Said a voice across the lobby and Demyan knew right then it was too late.

"Yes, Mr. Demyan is residing on the fifteenth floor, room 1524. And may we please know your reason to visit?"

"I am his sister and just wanted to stop by." Natasha replied. Breaking out of his frozen stance that had rooted him to his spot, Demyan made a sprint for the back door and had been successful in escaping unseen.

Clint and Natasha had reached the room where Demyan stayed and knocked at the door in three quick rapid strikes and waited. When they received no answer, they glanced back at each-other and knew what they had to do. On the count of three, Natasha kicked the door open and took her gun out of the back pocket of her jeans. Clint did the same, only to find the room completely empty.

"Wow, we really overact don't we?" Clint chuckled, standing near the floor to ceiling window.

"Barton, I think we should go." Natasha said darkly. "We have to go now."

"Why, we could just wait for him here." Clint said as he turned to face his partner. And then he saw the note in her hand, 'Run'. The word that somehow caused a reaction out of them so quick that they was no time to even check for other clues in the room because if a Red Room or Blue Room operative tells you to run, you damn well do it. Doing just as the little note said, Clint and Natasha ran out of the room and took the stairs down. Once they had reached level one, they broke into a walk and then took the elevator to throw of suspicions, because by the way they had sprinted out of the room, the police might have taken them for convicts.

The elevator doors dinged open to the lavishly decorated lobby and the pair of assassins put on a practiced fake smile.

"Head straight for the exit, take a left for a subway and don't look back. I will take a cab. Meet you in the tower." Clint said calmly as they headed for the exit.

"Okay, if either one of us doesn't reach the within 25 minutes of the other, we go straight to Fury. Got it?" Natasha answered and then questioned.

"Crystal clear." And then they went separate ways.

Exactly two minutes after Clint had reached the entrance of the Tower, Natasha arrived. They both nodded at each-other as the code for they had faced no trouble. They pushed the button for the common floor and JARVIS had greeted them in the same old way as it always did.

"Maybe they are married and Clint just proposed to her so I could stop making ridiculous but true assumptions." Tony said pacing up and down the floor of the Common living area.

"Tony, it's true then it no longer is an assumption and it is an assumption then it need not be true.' Cap answered bored out of his life. Because Tony Stark had assembled him, Banner and Pepper into the living room and continued making _assumptions, _theories and when all else failed grabbed Banners collar and demanded the truth. It was however very hard to not laugh at his face when he was blue.

"Stark, give it a rest; they are just pulling your leg." Banner said between muffled laughs.

"Yeah Tony, It's time you give up." Pepper added.

"Okay, now I know for sure those guys are up to something." He started again but his rumbles were cut short as a sweaty and panicked pair of assassins stumbled in.

"Guys, tell me Demyan came here." Natasha hopefully asked, no time to even greet them.

Catching on to their furrowed brows, the atmosphere turned dark just like that. They all got up from their respective seats. "No he hasn't. Why, what's the matter?" Pepper asked.

"Something's wrong. Demyan wasn't in his room and we found a note in his room that said 'run'." Natasha replied worriedly, running a hand through her red hair.

"Are you sure, it was his room?" Captain asked and Clint nodded.

"Maybe he is just playing a prank."

"No, he wouldn't play such a low prank." Natasha answered once again, and if it was possible her brows wrinkled further. Captain was about to say something further when JARVIS announced Fury's presence in the elevator up to their current floor.

Fury, shit, they forgot to tell Fury about Demyan, heck they don't think they ever wanted him to know. And before Natasha could wish that the earth opens up and swallows her whole, the dreaded elevator doors opened to a more dreaded presence of Nick Fury in the room.

"Good to find you all here, already assembled." He said with a one eyed glare. "Romanoff, Barton, I checked the debrief files you had signed in from the Moscow mission and there appears one name missing from it. And I assume you know well, who I am talking about."

"Director Fury, I know, I made a mistake, but he was my brother- and I"

"Bravo, Agent Romanoff, starting to grow your own wings now, making decisions you know well you can't and more importantly even I can't. And because of your misjudgment, I am reaching threat letters from a certain Demyan Romanoff, who I thought was long since dead."

"Demyan?"

"Yes Demyan, Agent. And you were sheltering him from SHIELD."

"Fury, Natasha didn't bring Demyan here. I don't know how, but he came here by himself." Clint defended his dazed partner.

"Yeah Fury, cut her some slack. She didn't know Demyan was here." Banner spoke up and if the matter wasn't of life and death everyone would be shocked because Banner never out spoke authority-ever.

Knowing his agents full and well, Fury was certain Natasha would never take such an action-such actions were more possibly expected from Agent Clint or more suitably Stark-but not Romanoff. Everyone has a bad day and this was just the worst for him, having two consecutive meeting with the egg head called Council, he was left with a decision to make; Either fire Romanoff from SHIELD or sent her in a suicide mission to take own Demyan. As said before, Fury knew his Agents well and he knew Natasha would rather take the suicide mission then be fired from SHIELD. The decision was easy like that but-and as there always is that lingering but-if Natasha went on a suicide mission, Clint would follow and soon the whole team would be on its dead march. Now the decision was difficult. The decision however wasn't difficult solely because of the reason above but also because Natasha was one the best agents and she was caught in a whirlwind of emotions upon meeting her brother. By the end of the day Natasha was a human and such choices were expected from even the strongest human on earth. Blood is thicker than water, as they say.

Silence followed Banners statement and then Fury spoke, coming completely clean. They deserved to know the truth. "Well Agent Romanoff, you decision was caused Council to want you on a silver platter."

"But Fury she didn't do anything." Cap and Stark said in unison and then all came in about Natasha's innocence. Fury just raised a hand in return to silence them.

"Personally Avengers I know you and that's why I believe you but I am not the one to call the shots. The Council wants Natasha out of SHILED."

"What? Fury, you can't let them do this. She is the best SHILED has." Clint cried.

"Director Fury that is not fair. You have to change their minds." Pepper added, trying the diplomatic approach.

"Or Natasha.." he looked at her directly in the eye, because she hadn't uttered a word since he spoke. "Or you can go on a suicide mission alone to take Demyan down. It's your call."

The room fell silent, and there was a slight quiver in her lips. The choice was hers-life or SHILED-which was more valuable to her.

"Natasha you don't have to do this." Clint said understating her direction of thoughts.

"Fury, I did not expect this from you- I thought we were a team here-shoot the Council, what do they know about team and families anyway." Captain fumed. "I will not let them fire a part of team"

"Fury there must be something, you could do. You can't just let them push her out of the company. Tony tell him." Pepper said and looked over at Tony for support to in turn was looking at Clint and Natasha.

"Natasha don't do this. We can leave SHIELD, we can stay in this tower if you want and just be normal." Clint tried persuading his partner to no avail. All she did was shake her from side to side not agreeing on a thing her partner said.

Her lips quivered once again, mustering all the strength she had lost upon finding the options she was left with. She clears her throat once, silencing Cap and Bruce from almost yelling at the director, before speaking. "When do I leave?"

"Leave for what Agent- the mission or-leave from SHIELD? Fury asked. There was hint of sorrow in his voice but his face kept void of any emotions.

"When do I leave for my suicide?"

Then with those words the world stops spinning, everything comes to a halt and Natasha signs her imaginary death certificate.

**AN**: End of chapter 6. Thanks for reading. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review and let me know what you think. I am open to all suggestions and constructive criticism. Your Reviews mean a lot, so please review, pretty please with a cherry on top.


	7. Not there yet

CHP:7: NOT THERE YET.

Natasha in many ways is a bird-an origami one-she has ceases all along her body that makes her who she is. She is a picture of perfection that makes everyone wonder how she turned out the way she did. But there is no such thing as perfect in this world anymore and as Natasha is a part of the world, she too is subjected to have exceptions. Here is hers- Natasha Romanoff is painfully stubborn and wildly protective of the few people that she has come to love. And you know what-Clint Barton hated her for it. So right now after turning the whole of the common living room upside down in his anger, Clint just slumped down on to the overturned couch and lowered his head to the ground.

"Is it possible to love someone so much, you want to kill them?" Clint asked as Cap laid over the arm, that is as good as six months of therapy to a guy, over his shoulder.

"I don't understand why you are worrying so much. Don't you know her, she is the black widow, and she kicks asses in her sleep." Tony tried to lighten the mood but the atmosphere was too far gone for that. Clint remained in his place on the couch and raised his glance to the window that remained intact, despite his rage. He shook his head twice from side to side because they didn't understand. They may be superheroes and Tony and Bruce are geniuses no doubt-but they haven't been a part of SHIELD long enough to know what suicide mission in this agency looks like.

"You don't understand SHILED's definition of suicide mission. Death is not the worst thing in this world."

"Then enlighten us Barton and give us a good reason why I should hack the security system on their meeting floor, because there is no way I am doing this if you don't want it." Tony raised an argument. He respected Clint in every way possible in the book of ways Tony Stark should respect people but he also loved Natasha like his little sister. His fingers twitched dangerously almost giving in the urge to pull of the holograms to the meeting floor.

"No-I'll just convince her in my way."

"Yeah well you do that. Talk to her and maybe she'll see your side of the point and maybe change her decision." Pepper quipped in understanding.

"Okay, Tony, you just JARVIS to lock down all exits in the building, as a precautionary step." Cap insisted.

"I don't think it's that easy….with us it's never that easy. Isn't that right Clint?" Bruce added, pushing his specs higher on his bridge.

Clint nodded his head in agreement. They were _The Avengers_, the world's saviors, the heroes and thus they can never have it easy. "I just wish we had our way sometimes even if we don't have it easy. I wish we didn't have our joy stolen just as it was handed to us. I just want.."

"Wait, hold on a sec, what about Demyan?" Pepper broke in, an idea already piecing together in her mind.

"What about that bastard?"

"Well how do we actually know that it was Demyan who was sending threat letters to SHIELD and not someone else?"

"Because we were stupid and didn't run any background check and accepted him with arms wide open, that's why." Clint yelled. "I actually believed him to be Natasha's brother, actually believed him to be good. For all we know, this all brother shit he cooked could be a plan to lure Natasha in. And there she goes."

And that's when disappointment broke in, it was no longer anger or confusion or rationality, it was just plain disappointment. Because they believed Demyan and more importantly considered him a part of the family.

"I thought-I thought wrong about him" Cap said, lowering his head too.

"But there is the possibility of him being set up, right? I mean maybe he is the one who is being plated with too." Tony rationalized, seeing the other side of the coin. No one uttered a word. "Come on guys, how can we just assume that Demyan was just luring Natasha in? Maybe Demyan was set up too; maybe this whole blue Room thing being destroyed was a hoax."

"Maybe you are not seeing right Tony!" Clint hissed venomously. "Don't you see? This was all a damn plan and I swear I will tie Natasha to the bed if that means keeping her in the Tower. I will not let her go."

That was all the conversation that was possible in the heavily messed up living room. Clint had stormed to the roof while the rest remained there.

"I think you should hack the meeting room." Bruce said

All the while in the bright and yet dull meeting floor of the Tower sat two people at loss of words. Fury simply slid a USB flash drive across the table towards Natasha. She picked it up and toy'd the little device in her hands, unable to meet the director's eye. She continued the action for a couple more minutes before raising her glance.

"Any word of wisdom before I leave?" she asked, her tone bare of any anger, and a small sad smile on her lips.

"Agent Romanoff- Natasha, you have always been an irreplaceable part of SHILED but I don't make the big call and I can't sacrifice the whole HQ, in order to save one agent."

"I understand, Sir. I wouldn't want to risk anyone's life either-especially my teammates." She paused for a breath and then continued "I am ready."

"I know you are agent but I still wish there was something I could do for my best agent." He let a little emotion slip through his tone. But emotions are emotions and Natasha will take whatever emotions save for rage from Fury.

"You just called me your best agent-I think that's the best you could for me." She said her word as she slowly got up from the chair and walked over to the door. "But if by any chance there is one more thing you are willing to do for your best agent then keep an eye for her partner."

She left him with such simple words that had so much intense weight in them but to him they were the sweetest honey on earth. There was no crying, no screaming, no begging for life, just acceptance from her and that cut to the heart. Because this is Russia they were talking about, this was a solo suicide mission she was assigned to and this was all she had to say.

He lingered in the empty room for a couple of more minutes and left. The world doesn't stop, never slows down, and he yet has more duties and responsibility to fulfill. Life can't even take a break even when he just sent his agent to her death, can it? But if this was the last time Fury saw Natasha Romanoff then he swears he will always remember her as the 'best one'.

Natasha pushed on the blue elevator button, entered the open box and rode it to her floor. Finding it empty, she pulled out her laptop and loaded the USB that contained her mission files on it.

The file simply held all the information she would need for her mission. It made one's heart bleed really, pushed to make a choice where it's your grave on both sides. She briefly skimmed over the file, picking up vital info in the process and all too soon she was done. Now that the easy part was over, she made way to deal with the harder part. Clint.

Being partners for a good many years had its disadvantages like for one, they knew too much about one-another and basically they have nowhere to hide from their respective partners when the occasion called for it. So it goes without saying that Natasha found Clint on the roof in 30 seconds flat. She lingered on the entrance to the roof for a while, taking in her partners slumped back, his face towards the New York skyline.

"Clint?" But what could really be said.

"Don't go."

"I have to."

"No, you don't. You chose to go." He yet hadn't faced her and she yet remained rooted to her spot by the entrance. "Please."

"I am sorry, but I will come back and you know that right?" and that's when the rockets exploded. Clint jumped back on the roof and closed the distance between them in just one leap. His face was fuming and dangerously close to hers.

"Like heck you are coming back Nat. Dis you not notice that this is a suicide mission you are about to go on and in Russia for that one. Don't you see the dangers of this mission or you just don't care, huh?"

"You know I care, but Clint I am not ready to leave SHIELD. And guess what I can swear on my beating heart that you aren't either." She replied sadly because it was true, they had invested all their life to this one agency that didn't even care about its beloved agents. "Clint.." but words that should have made a difference were lacking their presence and word that could provide reassurance were non-existent.

"I give up. Go, but if you don't come back, I will come hunting for you, drag your sorry soul home and kill you myself. And that is a promise." Clint said fire blazing in his eyes and no one on earth has seen him this worked up.

"Then I guess this is good bye for now." Natasha said after a while because the matter was over. She was going and she was going to come back. She hoped. She turned around to leave to pack her bags for the following day.

"Wait, don't go."

"Clint, don't stop me now."

"If I will, you'd stay?"

"Don't ask questions, you don't want to hear."

"Then I guess there's nothing more to talk about."

"I guess not." She lingered on the exit, trying to break her pride and give into his request. But then the words were flowing through her mouth like butter on toast. "See you then." Silence was promptly returned. And that was when nothing was left to be said.

Clint let out a string of profanities on his part after Natasha left and wondered where his resolution to convince her to stay had gone. He was a stupid bastard.

Two floors down, two minutes later, a lamp was thrown against the wall, shattering in a million pieces. Natasha Romanoff's bedroom was a mess. Her duffel bag was thrown on her bed, guns, widow bites, and clothes strewn along with it. The room in general didn't fare well either. If the mess wasn't on the bed then it lay as broken furniture splinters across the floor. She counted back from hundred to one, punched a wall and then proceeded to pack.

She was going on the mission no matter what but the real question was what exactly she was going to do on her mission. She can't kill Demyan and she knows it. The controversy that he might not be her actual brother was bullshit, he was blood family. Blood is thicker than water. And cue another but-but if she can't kill Demyan than she will be killed. And she had sorta promised to return home. She won't kill Demyan but the same sadly cannot be guaranteed by him. This was real shit.

"You asked JARVIS to lock down all exits right?" Banner asked Tony in their disastrous but suspiciously calm lab.

"Way ahead of you Bruce, I also took the illegal liberty to hack in to SHIELD system and loaded all her mission files."

"You broke into SHIELD?"

"Yeah that was candy work. What I can't however do is get past this wall on her current wall. It may take me another hour or so. I'll let once I do that." Tony replied furiously keying the computer.

"Hey guys, don't tell me you are hacking in to SHIELD again?" Cap announced as he entered the lab and instantly noticed Tony's intentions.

"You know I am doing this for the benefit of our family right? Don't stop me." Tony seethed dangerously; he didn't need morals right now. All he needed was this wall down.

"I am not even trying to do that. In fact, I can't believe I am saying this but, I am with you on this on."

Banners mouth flew open but he quickly concealed it. It was time to take risks that went beyond their moral compass and this was family they were talking about.

"What do you want me to do?" Cap continued, trying to grasp the fast moving alphabets down the monitor.

"No, there isn't anything currently but-damn it, I can't break this code"

The evening escalated in to a silent night. Nobody uttered a word in the tower. Pepper was visibly upset. Tony, Cap and Bruce remained in the lab trying to hack the last file on Natasha's account. Clint was rooted on that spot of his on the roof, facing north and stared down to the tiny cars below his dangling feet.

He glanced down at his watch; 8:00 it read. The traffic continued to honk, louder now, and then back at its normal, move out of my way pace. Things were normal but things were never like this. Having nothing better to do then think all the possibilities and words of the wise men he could have used to stop her, he continued to stare at the traffic.

Night was slowly drawing in to morning and Natasha would be leaving in another hour. He glanced back at the watch for the second time in the past fifteen minutes. He waited for longer than he should have, trying to draw out the moment, a little too late for that he realized soon after and finally jumped off the roof and towards Natasha's room.

He took the stairs down but reached the wanted floor in the same time as it would've taken an elevator down. The silence that hugged the floor was proof that he was too late. Eyes back down on his watch and he knew, it wasn't him that was late but it was her who was early. He hated her for her stubbornness and he hated her more because she knew he could have made her stay, but she didn't.

The elevator to their floor dinged open and the rest of the crew walked out, goodbyes were in due.

"Where's Natasha?" was the first words that was questioned.

"Gone." Clint answered brokenly

"What? What shit convincing was that?" Bruce yelled

"But I sealed all the exits and entrances to the tower since yesterday evening. There is no way she could break out with setting off JARVIS."

The wind and silence that whipped their faces was hard. Wait, wind in the tower? Almost instantly all the faces turned to the one sole open window on the floor.

"No way! She did that?" Cap said

"Oh my god, she parachuted herself down the tower?" Pepper gasped covering her mouth

Everyone exclaimed something equally stupid about the sheer absurdity about the Black Widow's method but one mouth remained sealed. Clint was not fazed at all; this was the least that could be expected out of her.

"You know this means. This means I am going to follow her to her messed up suicide mission and drag her ass back home." Clint said after a while.

"And you think we all are just going to wait here and knit?" Tony snickered. "We are coming with you, whether you want us to or not."

"You are welcomed to accompany me but first I need some details on her mission; to start with her location."

"We have been trying to break in to that file forever but damn it, it's a persistent file."

"Ok, but can we at least find when she left. For all we know, she might be just around the corner." Cap suggested.

"JARVIS pull up the video footage of the exterior of the south side tower." Pepper commanded.

"Yes Ms. Potts."

Soon enough, there was the footage, illuminated in front of their faces. The window on the 79th floor flew open and a small red head could be seen peeking out. A breath later the head's whole body emerged and down it fell. A second after that, the parachute flew open, landing the insane assassin to safety, giving the traffic a spectacular show.

"She left yesterday. At 8.01 pm."

"Now what, she could be half way around the world by now. In fact she landed in Russia almost three hours ago."

The conversation had the potential to be carried out further if it wasn't for JARVIS interrupting them. "Sir, a call for you."

"Not now JARVIS." They all screamed.

"It's from Director Fury, Sir"

"Put him on" Clint said after a bitter silence.

"WHERE the hell is Agent Romanoff, she is late for her check in. Send her to HQ ASAP." Fury raged and the line went dead as soon as he finished.

If Natasha isn't at SHIELD and she isn't in the Tower, then where the hack did she disappear?

AN: Thanks for reading. Tell me know what you think about this story so far. If you have any suggestions, then let me know. I could really use some reviews now. Thanks again and pretty please, REVIEW.


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